Analysis Of Lulu Island Marsh

Introduction In a marsh environment, it can be assumed by many that the studied environment exhibits a descending pattern as the land meets the ocean in a liminal boundary. This hypothetical descending pattern is both literal – an idea of where the elevation of the land decreases as the marsh reaches towards the marsh front, and figurative – that data taken from sample sites at the marsh such as pH, amount of organic matter deposited within the soil, and amounts of specific sediments deposited within the soil has a linear pattern as the marsh extends to the shore. This report will examine elevation, soil pH, water salinity, and soil texture data from unbiased sample sites in hopes of finding a relationship to support the hypothesis of this …show more content…
Lulu Island Marsh is located in the Fraser River Estuary where the Fraser River meets the Strait of Georgia. The approximate length of the area examined on marsh averages at about 330 metres (red line in Figure 1). To cover more ground, the study site was divided into two transects: a southern transect and a northern transect. These two transects started at the given Eastings and Northings above and ended at the marsh front 330 metres out and approximately 15 metres apart from each …show more content…
From this data, it is noticeable that there is no major variation or patterns seen in pH levels on either transect as it travels towards the shoreline, with the average marsh pH sitting at neutral 7. A possible reasoning for this result could be explained by the fact that Lulu Island Marsh is part of an estuary where fresh water from the Fraser River meets salt water from the Pacific Ocean. When these two bodies of water meet, the fresh water could act as a pH neutralizer, and “water down” any sediments or minerals that would usually affect the pH of a solution. Therefore, despite being a marsh with plenty of deposited sediments and factors that would likely affect the pH, the pH of the water is almost always